After appearing in the playoffs with the Pittsburgh Steelers and cited many times over the course of planning to return in black and gold after the 2025 season, quarterback Russell Wilson found himself locked in with his free agency.
Wilson appears ready to sign whether it’s the Steelers, New York Giants or Cleveland Browns, but the Steelers have not shown much interest in it, especially as long as they’ve returned with him after losing in the AFC wildcard round, going 6-5 in the regular season.
Now picking is slim for Wilson. Eventually he was able to return to Pittsburgh, depending on what happened in the situation with Aaron Rodgers. That seems unlikely, but he leaves the Giants and Browns as legitimate options as starters.
It’s not exactly comforting. But for ESPN’s Chris Kanty, the former NFL defensive side of the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants might be best to land in Cleveland.
“And Russell Wilson may not be the apple of your eyes, but it could be the best situation for you in terms of your chances of reviving your career and joining the playoff contender.” says Canty, who will appear on ESPN’s Sportsmanlike Monday. “There’s a discussion that Cleveland will be on the second overall pick and that there’s a debate that should be made about him having defense against Miles Garrett, so we’re back on board for it, and we’re offering Russell Wilson a better chance to get into the playoff game and win than the Pittsburgh Steelers now.”
Wilson visited the Browns last week before leaving without a contract, allowing him to visit the Giants. Nothing has happened at Wilson camp since then, but former NFL QB and FS1 analyst Chase Daniel said he spoke to Wilson and that the Super Bowl-winning QB feels “some way” about how the Steelers handled this offseason.
For Chianti, that could be a good thing, especially with the Browns. Certainly, no. Having a two-wide overall pick isn’t a calling card for a team in free agency, but the Browns were able to expand Miles Garrett with a historic deal, and were able to collectively acquire a generation of talent like Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter.
But do you have a better shot to win a playoff game in Cleveland now in Pittsburgh? It’s an insane take from Kanti. The Browns have made their appearance in the playoffs once since 2020 when they defeated the Steelers in the wildcard round. That playoff appearance came in 2023 and was blown away by the Cleveland Browns.
Last season, Cleveland went 3-14earning the fewest points in the league at 15.2 per game, and allowing 27th points per game at 25.6. Rather than precisely a dominant defense, there are more issues with offense than quarterbacks.
For all the issues the Steelers have at quarterback now, they’re out of the playoff appearance, adding wide receiver DK Metcalf and cornerback Darius Slay. They are now slightly better than they might have been last season.
Cleveland’s Wilson card may have a first job. However, he’s not going there to get a good shot to win a playoff game with the Browns than the Steelers. It’s a very bad take from Kanti, the era.
